In This Together
by kiazilla
Summary: A story focusing on the blossoming relationship of Wakka and Lulu during the pilgrimage. Wakka&Lulu.
1. Chapter 1

** In This Together - Chapter 1.**

_After Yuna's kidnapping by the Al Bhed.  
__Blitzball Stadium, Luca._

"You really gave it your all tonight, didn't you?"

Just seconds before Lulu said this, Wakka had lost his footing. He had collapsed into her arms from exhaustion, his chest heaving as he tried to regulate his breathing, embarrassed at showing so much physical weakness.

"Lu, I - ," he tried to raise his head, his hands fumbling nervously in a vain attempt to steady himself, but Lulu's arms around his upper body squeezed harder.

"It's okay," she reassured, feeling the captain of the Besaid Aurochs reluctantly calm in her arms. Lulu wasn't particularly physically strong, but she wasn't weak, so for a moment she held him up, allowing him to breathe and slowly recover his strength.

Wakka didn't lean his whole body against her for long, and soon his hands shifted to hold her, to make it a little easier.

It was the first time that they had truly held each other. Of course Wakka had comforted Lulu when Chappu had died, but they had never been physically close. Even in childhood, prior to any romances, the two never hugged or held hands, even as friends.

So now Wakka savoured the feel of her body, his hands resting against the gentle curve of her waist. He rested his head against hers and closed his eyes, sighing as he felt his aching body relaxed a little.

There weren't any obvious wounds, but those damn Al Bhed Psyches had certainly done a number on him. He'd be lucky not to have a collapsed lung…

But now he couldn't even think of that. He didn't even think that merely thirty minutes before, they were in panic because of Yuna's kidnapping. Wakka felt guilty, but he couldn't think of anything but those warm hands now soothing at his shoulders and back. He couldn't even think of the most important match in the history of the Besaid Aurochs, about the final they were going to enter against those damn Luca Goers.

His fingers twitched as he stretched out the long digits and moved them up Lulu's waist, bringing her even closer. Wakka felt her sigh against his body and he smiled, pressing his head against hers.

Wakka could see why Chappu had fallen in love with her…

"We're gonna go out and win, guys, come on! We're in the final!"

Noisy footsteps and boisterous voices from outside of the locker room caused them to pull apart from one another, but not too quickly. Wakka still held onto Lulu's waist as the door opened, making Keepa and Datto raise their eyebrows suspiciously before the excitement of being in the final quickly took over any desire to question their captain's rather intimate embrace with the mage.

They were in the final, after all!

_After defeating Seymour Natus.  
__Macalania Woods_.

Lulu watched as Rikku waved goodnight to her, and slid into the tent that she shared with Yuna. The young Al Bhed had been the last of their party to stay awake and keep her company, but even she was too tired now.

The last week had been so frustrating, so tiring. It was such a relief to have Yuna back safely after the dangers that they were put through at the hands of the maesters, and of course everything that happened with Seymour. The young summoner was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and all Yuna had wanted was a place to rest for the night. Just to have an evening of peace and quiet.

The rest of the party were drained, too, so they all appreciated the opportunity to rejuvenate.

Tidus and Wakka had been the first to follow Yuna and call it a day, and Kimahri followed soon after. The Ronso was the one unfortunate enough to have to share a tent with the ever miserable Auron, who insisted that they had to be up at the crack of dawn.

Rikku had been the last one to go, and now Lulu was sitting alone with nothing but a faded campfire and her thoughts to keep her company.

The pretty mage sighed and looked up at the sparkling sky.

The night was beautiful and it felt good to relax, even if it was just for eight or so hours. All she wanted was five minutes of tranquillity, to clear her head.

Lulu's thoughts were overwhelming though, and despite the stress and chaos of recent events, all she could think of was Wakka.

He had been so stressed recently, finding it difficult to be loyal to both Yevon and to Yuna. Revelations of Rikku being an Al Bhed, and then of course the betrayal of the masters… Wakka had found it so difficult to cope, and still try support the rest of the party. He wanted to be strong, Lulu could tell, but his loyalties to his friends were at war with his beliefs.

It was hard for him, poor Wakka.

Lulu wondered if Chappu would have struggled like that, had he been in his older brother's situation.

Lulu had always compared Wakka to his brother.

Wakka had never been as intelligent as Chappu, as thoughtful or even as good at Blitzball. She had been criticised of her cold behaviour towards her late lover's brother sometimes, but Lulu didn't see her condemnation as being particularly unfair. She was just stating the facts, she thought. Wakka just wasn't like Chappu at all.

Apart from both of the brothers having always been kind, their personalities were distinctively different. Wakka was more emotional, Lulu had come to learn, and more irrational.

Even in looks they differed greatly. Chappu had been closer to her own height, and despite being just as sporty as his older brother, he certainly wasn't as athletically built. Wakka towered over her by at least a head, and his broad shoulders and well defined muscles were something that she originally disliked.  
He was too different from Chappu.

Only their hair was the same. Their facial structures had very few similarities, with Wakka's face being a little wider than Chappu's. Their eyes were exactly the same colour, though. A powdery, pale blue, that looked beautiful against tanned skin.

Lulu had spent so much time thinking of the differences between Chappu and Wakka, she found herself startled when she began thinking of the resemblances. She already knew their physical similarities, and they were limited. Those same eyes, and the same smile, the same friendly expression… she knew those illustrations well, she had studied them often in Chappu, and they were hard to miss in Wakka's face too.

But what of the other things…. What of the mental, the personal likeness?

Was Wakka also reluctant to talk about his feelings? Was he scared of cats, too? Was he attracted to her, as her brother had been?

Lulu sighed, a pale hand moving to play with her braids. Half of her hated herself for these betraying trains of thought, and the other half was growing almost giddy with thoughts of Wakka now.

Would he touch her like Chappu did? Or kiss her like that? And how would he make love to her?

Lulu rose suddenly, brushing at her skirt as she began to walk away from the camp. She tried to stay as quiet as possible and lifted the heavy leathers of her clothes as she walked, making sure that they wouldn't noisily brush against the sand. Her dark eyes shifted towards Wakka's make-shift tent, her over-active imagination envisioning the man that rested inside.

Lulu visualised her fellow guardian's body, half wrapped in a sheet, tanned and muscular and tense. She already knew that Wakka's bright red hair would be loose around his eyes, since he never wore his headband when he slept.  
The mage had seen him sleep before, and he always looked exquisite. His full lips would always be parted slightly, and his eyes were shut tight. Wakka looked very peaceful when he slept, and Lulu liked to see him like that because he was rarely so worry-free, so serene. He would spread himself around too, like a child, with arms draped everywhere and those muscular legs spread out and always taking up so much room.

For a moment, Lulu felt very envious of Tidus, lying there beside Wakka and completely unaware of the stunning body of such a gorgeous man lying beside him. Lulu wouldn't have let Wakka sleep, that was for sure…

The mage sighed, and began to walk away from camp. Lulu needed to take a walk and clear her head, she couldn't imagine trying to sleep now. Her mind was overflowing with indecent thoughts, thoughts about her former lover's brother.

"…yo, Lu." Lulu had heard the sound of cloth rustling behind her but she didn't turn around straight away. She knew that it was Wakka, she didn't need to hear his voice to know that.

"Wakka," she sighed outloud and turned around again to face camp. She let out another sigh and felt her heartbeat quicken even more, she hadn't expected to be greeted with the sight that stood before her now.

Wakka looked sleepy, somewhat distressed. The red fringe of his hairstyle fell over his face, over his strong nose and his pouting lips. All Wakka wore was a pair of loose fitting sleeping shorts, and his well sculptured muscles twitched and tensed under his skin, as if feeling Lulu's gaze on his topless body.

"…where you goin'," Wakka mumbled, his voice sounding throaty and hoarse. "There's fiends everywhere… you shouldn't be goin' anywhere alone."

Lulu watched as Wakka rubbed at his sleepy eyes, and approached her slowly. The corners of her lips twitched in a smile at his concern.

Initially Lulu had disliked Wakka's almost over-protective instinct, but she had come to see the possessiveness as simple care. Wakka was kind. He didn't have ulterior motives, he simply cared about people.

"I'm just going for a walk, Wakka," Lulu said, almost smiling as she spoke his name. Wakka didn't seem satisfied with this reply, wrinkling his nose as he shuffled over closer to her.

"I don't want you goin' alone, Lu. It ain't safe," he yawned and stood on his tiptoes, stretching his long, muscular arms above himself. He seemed to be blissfully unaware of Lulu's eyes on him, watching his flat, muscular stomach tense a little.

"I won't disturb you or nothin'. I just don't want you goin' alone, ya," Wakka repeated, almost shamefully. He seemed to think of himself as a burden to Lulu, and was prepared for her to reject him or get mad at him. He furrowed his red eyebrows and ran a hand through his hair, already attempting to think of more excuses for why Lulu shouldn't be walking around by herself at night.

"It's okay," Lulu spoke quietly, not looking directly at Wakka. "You can come."  
The mage let her dress fall to the floor again, no longer concerned about it dragging. She started walking into the darkness, not bothering to wait for Wakka because she knew that he'd be by her side soon enough.  
And he was.

Soon, they were walking together slowly and quietly, neither of them sure about what to say.

Lulu hadn't been the only one suffocated with guilty thoughts. Wakka's mind had been filled with improper thoughts of his late brother's lover for a guilty amount of time. Wakka had imagined Lulu within his own arms not even a year after Chappu had passed, and those guilty thoughts filled him with so much shame.

And of course, thinking about his own indecent emotions in a time like this, a time of such tragedy and unhappiness…

"Where we goin'?" Wakka asked, being the first to break the silence. Lulu saw him looking at her from the corner of her eye but she didn't look back at him with her usual, confident stare. She felt her cheeks darken, thankful for the dark sky.

"I want to sit by the water for a while."

Wakka nodded, not questioning her reasons or motives, or why she wasn't resting.

Whilst Wakka had a habit of falling asleep in front of the whole party, Lulu was the exact opposite. Wakka had even began to think that maybe the mage didn't sleep at all, but of course the rational side of him knew that Lulu simply slept less than he did.

The lake wasn't far from where they camped, so the silent walk wasn't too long or too uncomfortable. Wakka kept himself occupied by watching Lulu, his head tilted slightly to the side and a small smile ever-present on his lips. She returned his gaze only when they reached the lake, their eyes locking for a moment too long. Wakka's smirk stretched into a bright grin just as Lulu turned away and walked closer to the water.

He watched her crouch beside the lake, her elegant arm stretched out and her fingertips dipping into the water.

"Come sit with me."

Wakka hesitated for a moment, his toes digging into the cold ground. Lulu didn't turn back to face him, but he hadn't expected anything else from her. He knew her well enough to understand that she wouldn't ask again, so he walked towards her and sat down beside her crouching form not so gracefully.

He sat down with his legs half crossed and half arched, his toes dipping slightly into the cool water. Wakka noticed that Lulu stretched her legs out too and did the same, flinching in surprise when the cold water brushed her toes.

"How are you feeling?" Lulu whispered, her eyes stirring to lock with Wakka's. He looked back at her, his smile fading slightly.

"You seem sad, Wakka."

"Nah, Lu, I ain't sad. This is just tougher than I expected, you know," he spoke almost in a whisper, half afraid of their conversation being over-heard even though he knew that nobody was listening. "I just think that I ain't doin' this whole guardian thing well, you know… I feel like I'm failin' everyone."

Lulu's eyebrows furrowed and she bit her lower lip, tilting her head to the side. Wakka had turned away and was pouting slightly now. It was the first opportunity that he had to talk about anything, and the mage could see that Wakka was finding it difficult to control his emotions.

"I ain't cut out for this, Lu. I ain't supportin' Yuna properly… can't seem to do nothin' right."

Wakka's expressive eyes closed for a moment and he let out a deep sigh, opening them again only when he felt a warm hand on the small of his back.

"Don't say such things, Wakka," Lulu whispered in a soothing tone, her fingers moving over his skin in a comforting motion. It saddened her to see him filled with so much negativity and self doubt. "You're a wonderful guardian. Yuna needs you here. We all need you here. Yuna loves you Wakka, and I," Lulu paused, her hand becoming still on her friends' lower back. _And I do too_, she wanted to say but couldn't bring herself to speak those words just yet. "…and I want you here Wakka. We all need you here. If any of us turned our backs on this now, it just wouldn't be the same. We're in this together, Wakka."

There were so many more things that she wanted to say, but Lulu wasn't capable of finding the words. Not yet.

"Thanks, Lu," Wakka whispered, turning his body 90 degrees in order to look at Lulu. She had slipped her hand from his broad back and moved to cross her hands together, but Wakka reached out to take her fingers first. They looked at one another as their fingers slowly linked together, Lulu's hand almost dwarfed by Wakka's larger one.

"You keep me goin' sometimes, you know that, ya," he whispered, his words making Lulu blush and look away. Their fingers remained linked together though, with Wakka gently rubbing at Lulu's knuckles with his thumb.

It was bold of him, but Wakka moved his free hand to Lulu's face, gently cupping her cheek and encouraging her to turn and face him again.

"Lu," he whispered, running his nail gently over her delicate jaw-line. Lulu watched him as he closed his eyes and slowly moved his mouth to hers.

Their first kiss was so innocent.

Their lips didn't even touch, at first. Lulu could feel the heat radiating from Wakka's mouth against her own, his gentle breaths caressing her lips as she patiently waited for the contact, her own dark eyes eventually flickering shut, too.

Again, Wakka was the first to move.

He moved his head merely centimetre more before their lips finally touched, the kiss inoffensive, almost child-like. Wakka just wanted to savour the moment, etch the feel and taste of her lips into his memory forever. He'd dreamed of kissing her for too long, fantasies present too soon after Chappu's death.

Wakka didn't want anything to interfere with this moment though, so he pushed away guilty thoughts and turned his head so he could selfishly steal another kiss and memorise the texture of her lips from every angle.

Wakka didn't dare kiss her harder or faster though, not yet. Instead he kept his mouth on hers, feeling her breath tickling his lips as she kissed him back. Wakka felt his heart start to beat even faster when Lulu drew back and squeezed his hand as they looked at one another, before she quickly moved her head forward to kiss him again.

There was no animal lust in this kiss. Passion left them both flustered and breathless of course, but the kisses themselves were tender and affectionate, reassuring and loving. It was the reassurance that they both needed at the moment.

Even though Wakka's mind and body insisted that he could carry on kissing her until dawn, the Aurochs captain withdrew, but only slightly.

He smiled, nuzzling affectionately at her nose with his own, his eyes still closed.

Lulu was smiling too, her hand now in Wakka's hair, stroking the short, red locks tenderly.

"Lets go back to camp, Wakka. We have to start moving again in the morning."


	2. Chapter 2

_Mt. Gagazet, the walk towards Zanarkand Ruins._

"You're in love, aren't you?!"

The accusation had caught Wakka off guard, making him almost jump out of his bright yellow dungarees in surprise.

The party were walking along Mt. Gagazet, with Rikku, Tidus and the Besaid Aurochs captain strolling up ahead in front of the others, with the Al Bhed bouncing around more than usual in an idle attempt t keep warm. She grinned at Wakka as she skipped beside him, giggling at his reaction.

"You are! I knew it!"

"Whatcha talkin' about?!" the Blitzer exclaimed in surprise, attempting to get away from Rikku's accusing fingers, which insisted on poking him in the side as she chanted 'I knew it, I knew it!.'

"It's gotta be the cold or somethin'," Wakka mumbled, tapping at his own forehead with the tip of his index finger. "It's makin' you crazy!"

"You're blushing, Wakka!" the petite girl continued to tease as she hopped over to Tidus and flung her arms around him, swaying with him playfully from side to side. "You agree, right, Tidus? Don't you think that Wakka's been acting funny?"

Tidus attempted to wriggle himself free of the girl's grasp, looking towards the Aurochs' captain in confusion.

"I dunno! Come on, let go of me!" he mumbled incomprehensibly, managing to free himself out of Rikku's vice-like grasp. Of course he knew that the Al Bhed was just teasing Wakka, but there was obvious truth in her allegations. Tidus had sensed this earlier on in their journey, almost from the very beginning but he never once confronted his friend about it.

"I think you should tell her," Rikku continued to giggle, her swirling eyes moving from Wakka to Lulu, who was looking ahead towards them suspiciously now.

"We're getting closer to Zanarkand now, you might never the chance to tell her how you feel again," she mused dreamily, looking towards the Blitzer with a faint smile.

"Whatcha talkin' about," Wakka repeated, shaking his head as his eyes drifted from Rikku to Lulu. The mage looked at him in bewilderment, making his cheeks darken as he looked away.

"You better stop talkin' so loud, Ree. I don't want Lulu hearin' your nonsense!"

Apart from brief formalities, they hadn't said a word to one another since the kiss.  
Wakka would always watch her, and sometimes she would catch his gaze and return his smile, but it was seldom.

Their main focus wasn't love since their romance wasn't allowed to blossom, not now.

But damn it, even now as he was freezing his balls off in Mt. Gagazet, Wakka could barely keep his eyes away from Lulu.

"It's jus' too cold here!" The Besaid Aurochs captain exclaimed suddenly, jumping on the spot in a vain attempt to spread heat through his muscular body. The general mood amongst the party was melancholy, and it was only himself and Rikku that remained even a little optimistic.

The rest of the walk into Zanarkand ruins was filled with deadly silence, with the party conversing only when they encountered a fiend.

Even when they had set up camp, the mood hadn't lightened. They kept apart from one another, all of them avoiding even the simplest eye contact.

Wakka was sat on the dusty floor, with his legs crossed and his elbows digging into his knees. He dug his fingertips into his forehead out of frustration, and released a irritated groan as he punched at the ground.

Lulu watched him from the corner of her dark eyes, wanting nothing more than to take him in her arms now and comfort him because the mage could see that it was hard for Wakka to hide his pain.

Although she'd told nobody about it, she was so close to a confession. The final summoning was close, and Lulu knew that anything could happen when they would face Sin for the last time. She could lose her own life, or even worse, she could lose Wakka.

There were so many things that she wanted to say to him, so many selfish confessions that were always nagging at her.

Lulu wanted Wakka to know that she truly cared for him, that he was one of the most wonderful people she'd ever met. She wanted him to know that she feared losing him even more than she feared not being able to defeat Sin.

Lulu wanted Wakka to know that she was falling in love with him.

"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout, Lu?" Wakka's question came right on cue, and Lulu looked up at him with a hint of a smile.

"Don't you get sad, ya. This is what we've been waitin' for," he whispered quietly, so only the mage could hear him. "You, Yuna, Khimari and me… we knew this would come, ya."

The mage nodded, knowing perfectly well that Wakka was trying to justify Yuna's sacrifice. They had accepted the young summoners' destiny without question, but now that they were here about to usher Yuna to her death, it just didn't seem justifiable anymore.

"We have to defeat Sin," Lulu agreed, watching Wakka as he shuffled over to her somewhat awkwardly. He sat down with his legs stretched out in front of him, and looked up at her with loving brown eyes.

"We'll do it, Lu. Dontcha worry. We'll do it all together, ya," he tried to reassure, but there was no real conviction in his voice. Lulu stretched her fingers out and cautiously ran her fingertips over the naked skin of his shoulder. Wakka smiled at her and raised his hand to cover hers, stroking the back of Lulu's hand with his thumb.

"We'll do it, Lu."

_The Cavern of the Stolen Fayth, after defeating Lady Ginnem._

The battle with Yunalesca had shattered the spirits of the party, causing their loyalty to Yevon and the maesters of Spira to completely disappear.

Everything that they had believed to be true had in fact turned out to be lies, and the hope that all of Spira had for an eternal calm seemed almost impossible.  
They still had faith, just very little of it.

Trying to defeat Sin without the final aeon seemed unachievable, so they had to be more than 100 prepared. Yuna visited every single temple, exhausting herself as she tried to get every single aeon.

They went even further than the temples in the search of the aeon Yojimbo, and ended up fighting the unsent summoner Ginnem in order to confront the aeon and convince him to join them.

Lulu had confronted the spirit of her former friend with a bold smile, claiming not to feel any sadness now towards the departed summoner.

Wakka watched her now, even as the rest of their party began to walk away from the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth.

Although he knew that the mage wasn't crying, he could feel a melancholia radiating from her, causing his own mood to plummet.

Wakka approached her slowly, his eyes focused on the gentle curve of her exposed shoulders.

"Lu, I-," the captain of the Besaid Aurochs reached out, his fingertips stretched but not quite daring to touch Lulu's creamy white skin.

"It's fine, Wakka," her response came in a calm and controlled tone, but Wakka knew her better than that. She wasn't fine at all.

With a sigh, he took a step forward and wrapped his strong, right arm around her shoulder, gently pulling her into his arms. Lulu frowned and attempted to struggle out of his hold, but Wakka held on tight and the mage eventually began to relax.

She closed her eyes and leaned back into his protective embrace, her heart beating at a million miles a minute now.

"I failed her, Wakka. I didn't protect her like I should have," Lulu whispered, her eyebrows wrinkling in sorrow. She wasn't one for showing her emotions often, but this pilgrimage was mentally exhausting and Lulu found herself on the verge of tears more than once.

"Don't say that, Lu. You're an amazin' guardian, and Lady Ginnem knew that, ya," Wakka mumbled quietly, his free arm stretching out and wrapping around her waist so he could pull her even closer. He lowered his face slightly and pressed his cheek to hers so she wouldn't attempt to move away from him again.

"You did all you could, Lu."

"I didn't, Wakka. I let her die. If someone else had gone, maybe she would have survived, maybe-," Lulu broke off when Wakka gently shushed her, his protective hold around her calming her, but only slightly. It was his turn to be the stronger one now, his turn to comfort her and be her rock.

"You were just a kid, Lulu. You did your best. It ain't your fault, ya. You did all you could," Wakka reassured, his fingertips gently tracing invisible circles on the bare skin of Lulu's shoulder. "An' you can rest, Lu. Lady Ginnem is okay now, Yuna sent her. She's safe, ya. She at peace."

The mage sighed and leaned further into Wakka, his breath against the bare skin of her cheek and neck warm and soothing. Lulu knew that Wakka was right, she had done her best for Lady Ginnem and the late summoner was now at peace. There was nothing else that she could do, and feeling guilty about the unchangeable past would accomplish nothing.

Lulu moved her fingers to cover the hand that held her waist so lovingly, linking their digits together. She felt the butterflies begin to quiver in her stomach as Wakka smiled against her neck, his breath still caressing her skin tenderly.

"We'll be okay, Lu," the Blitzer reassured his voice now nothing more but a whisper. The mage ran the tips of her fingers over the back of Wakka's hand, her eyes closing as she felt the Aurochs captain move around, standing up straight and pressing his lips to the side of her head.

Their fingers linked together and the warmth of Wakka's body was a comfort that she had never experienced before. His body was athletic and muscular, and his arms provided both safety and ease.

She wanted to turn around and wrap her arms around his strong neck, but just as the mage began to twist in his arms, an intruder interrupted their private moment.

"We don't have any time for this," a rough voice interrupted, causing the couple to break apart. Auron faced them with an irritated expression, his eyebrows wrinkled in annoyance.

"Everyone is waiting. Hurry up," the oldest guardian hissed, turning away from them and fleeing the scene almost as quickly as he had arrived.

Lulu let her fingers trace the outline of Wakka's chest and stomach as she pulled back, noticing a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Guess they been waitin' for a while, huh," the blitzer laughed, causing Lulu to smile too as she moved towards the exit of the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth.

"Come on," the mage whispered, feeling the usually pale skin of her cheeks darken in a healthy blush as Wakka lead the way out towards the Calm Lands, where the airship was waiting for them. "We still have so much to prepare."

For the first time in days, Lulu smiled as she walked behind Wakka, her eyes focused on his tanned, muscular body. He slowed down without even realising in order to wait for his childhood friend, who quickened her step slightly.

Lulu stretched out her fingers and playfully swatted at Wakka's hand, causing him to turn around and grin at her.

"Whatcha doin'," he asked rhetorically, attempting to hide his surprise at Lulu's affectionate manner. He looked across the open field of the calm lands, noticing that Auron was walking several metres ahead, and everyone else was already waiting by the Al Bhed station. That didn't make him walk any faster, though. He wanted to enjoy this simple moment that he had alone with Lulu.

"You know Lu, at first I thought that you were into Sir Auron," Wakka mumbled, his voice turning into a whisper when Lulu moved over and walked so close to him that the backs of their hands brushed together as they walked.

"Sir Auron," Lulu mused at allegation, keeping her eyes focused on the ground as Wakka's fingers stretched out, and secretly the blitzer linked his little finger with her own. "Sir Auron isn't really my type, Wakka. You should know that."

"Well, ya know. Sir Auron's the mysterious type, right. Girls dig that, ya?" the Besaid Aurochs captain spoke with a nervous laugh, shifting his finger slightly so he could hold her hand properly.

Lulu had never been one for showing affection in public, never having even kissed Chappu in front of another. But now she was walking with Wakka, blushing like a foolish teenager as he traced invisible patterns into the back of her hand.

"Do they now? I didn't know that you had become an expert on women, Wakka," Lulu said calmly, attempting to fool the other guardian into believing that she had kept her cool. But he knew her better than that.

"And like I said, you should know me better than that. For some reason, I never even notice the strong, dark and mysterious types. For some reason, I always fall for island boys instead."

Her confession had silenced Wakka completely, and all he could do was stare at her with a lopsided grin as they walked, his dark brown eyes clouding over with love for the mage.

She must have known how he felt. Did she feel the same? Was this her confession? Or was she simply referring to past loves? But then, why did she squeeze his hand now, and avoid his eyes at all costs?

"Lulu, I need to tell you somethin'," the Blitzer mumbled in a tone that was hardly above a whisper.

What Rikku had said to him on Mt. Gagazet hadn't left his mind in days, and the threat of never telling Lulu how he felt was playing heavily on his conscience. He was so use to hiding his secret but the thought of losing her without her knowing just how much she meant to him was terrifying. He had to tell her, just in case…

"Not now, Wakka," Lulu tensed and pulled her hand away, her eyes darting over to the Al Bhed station. Everyone was already there, and the mage didn't feel comfortable with the party seeing them so close.

She looked up at him guiltily, frowning as she watched him mumble a faint 'oh.'

"We'll talk later, I promise. Now isn't about us."


End file.
